/ ˈkɜːnl; NAmE ˈkɜːrnl/ noun
( abbr. Col. ) an officer of high rank in the army, the marines , or the US air force :
Colonel Jim Edge
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from obsolete French coronel (earlier form of colonel ), from Italian colonnello column of soldiers, from colonna column, from Latin columna . The form coronel , source of the modern pronunciation, was usual until the mid 17th cent.